News

A spokesperson says The Oscar G. Johnson VA Medical Center in Iron Mountain has hired nine mental health professionals to meet the demand.

Those hires are part of more than 1,600 new mental health hires within the VA system.

Spokesperson Brad Nelson says four of the new hires are under an Executive Order signed by President Obama to meet the needs of veterans and their families. He says with more than a decade of combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, the need is there.

A local UW-Extension agent says the population shift toward more older residents in Wisconsin is even more pronounced in the Northwoods.The U-S Census Bureau says 14 percent of the state’s population was 65-or-older as of last July. That’s .7 percent more than in the 2010 Census. Wisconsin had an estimated 824,500 seniors as of last July. That includes 124,000 who were 85-or-older – an increase of 6,000 during the previous two years. Also, Wisconsin’s percentage of senior citizens is larger than the national figure of 13.7  percent.

The Oneida County Land and Water Conservation Department, Lumberjack RC&D and UW-Extension are inviting people with a need to talk about the Northwoods to an open microphone this Thursday evening in Three Lakes.

County Aquatic Invasive Species Coordinator Michele Sadauskas says the new event is called "Northwoods Expressions."

A main artery into Rhinelander will be closing soon and will be shut down for several weeks.

The city of Rhinelander is doing new utility lines and will extend the work down Kemp Street. Kemp is the southernmost of three bridges over the Wisconsin River in Rhinelander.

Water and Wastewater Superintendent Tim Kingman gives us an update as to closure dates.

More than $2 million has been awarded to this area to improve housing conditions.

The state Division of Housing spokesperson Stephanie Marquis says the money in this area is part of $15 million administered through the state for the federal Community Development Block Grant program. The program is designed to provide money to address affordable housing and community development.

A fund drive is underway to repair and preserve the train at Pioneer Park in Rhinelander. The Logging Museum complex includes the historic train and boxcars as a reminder of the Northwoods Logging era.

Mayor Dick Johns and others are hoping citizens step forward to contribute to the restoration of the train and to build a roof over the top to help preserve the attraction.

Mayor Johns says the wooden cars and the train need immediate attention.

You may be planning to get outdoors this weekend, but you probably won’t be outside as much as Toby Clark.  

He’s been hiking the ice age trail since April, and still has more than 400 miles left to go.  But he seems undaunted.

“Around mid-April the weather started to break and I started to get into more actual trail.  Instead of road-walking.  And it’s been great since then.  My body’s getting in shape and I’ve been meeting some wonderful people, and seeing some beautiful Wisconsin landscape.”

This Father’s Day weekend, we take a look at a story of model parenting from an unlikely place: the world of birds.  We meet a bald eagle who’s done a remarkable job as a foster father to over a hundred and fifty orphaned chicks.

They call him Amp. 

“People are always surprised when I say we have a foster dad eagle.  And they’re like, “well where’s the mom?” Well, it would be great if we had a mom…but we don’t have a non-releasable mom .  And he does such a great job.”

Bi-partisan support emerged for a bill authored by state Representative Rob Swearingen of Rhinelander.

Swearingen's bill would allow authorities to sieze the personal property or vehicle used in the crime of child enticement. Child enticement would be added to the list of crimes where forfeiture of property would be allowed.

Swearingen says the bill originated from a Northwoods incident...

"....in Eagle River, in  Vilas

Sweet treats for Rhinelander youngsters out on their bicycles...but only if they're wearing their bike helmets.

Police Chief Michael Steffes has announced the "Safety Is Sweet" campaign. The campaign encourages young bike riders to wear a safety helmet...